Another week, another turn of the screws, as one copycat defense after another has methodically disassembled the Broncos’ offensive game plan and slowed Tim Tebow’s progress to a crawl.

In his last four starts, including Sunday’s disaster against the Chiefs, Tebow has completed only 45.1 percent of his passes and turned the ball over seven times. The Broncos have lost three of those games, and scored only six offensive touchdowns during that span.

And those four defenses, the Chiefs included, are now pushing the replay button on the football iTouch.

“You try to get him to beat you with his arm,” Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said of Tebow.

“Our plan was to come in, stack the box and let him beat us passing,” Chiefs safety Kendrick Lewis said.

Tebow couldn’t do it. The Chiefs’ plan was the same as Buffalo the week before, and the same likely as Pittsburgh’s will be next Sunday in the playoffs. The Broncos have six days to get an answer because if the opposing safeties creep any closer to the line of scrimmage, they’ll soon be in the Broncos’ huddle.

Tebow completed only six throws, bringing his season total to eight completions in two games against Crennel’s defense this season. He was sacked twice, lost a fumble and threw an interception on his final play. At times he looked hesitant to let it fly, and the Chiefs boxed him into the pocket area, refusing to let him run free on the edge.

“There have probably been a few plays in there I should have tried to force, to make a play, you know, make something happen,” Tebow said. “But that’s just part of the game.”

And getting to be a far bigger part of the game for Tebow with each passing week.

What went right

Not much on offense, but for the seventh time this season the Broncos topped 170 yards rushing. Their run game enabled them to control the clock, but did not actually help them score points.

What went wrong

To start with, a nonexistent passing game. A heated John Fox was asked after the game if he had any thoughts on how to improve the Broncos’ passing attack in the next week.

“Yeah, complete more,” Fox said.

Running back Willis McGahee had another 100-yard game, but knows you have to pass better to win in the NFL.

“We have to put the ball in the air,” McGahee said. “We’ve got to do more passing the ball.”

The Chiefs were disciplined, kept Tebow pinned on the inside and kept things locked down enough down the field that even when Tebow had time to throw, he did not feel comfortable enough to wing the ball.

“The safeties are playing low, there’s eight (defenders) in the box, that should open up some opportunities to go 1-on-1,” Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker said. “We just have to do a better job of executing out of the passing game.”

Up next

The Chiefs were the third consecutive 3-4 defense to shackle the Broncos’ offense, a point that comes into play since one of the most respected practitioners of the history of the scheme is next on the Broncos’ docket. Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau’s unpredictable, aggressive, any-time, any-place blitz approach will be another test for Tebow.

The Steelers finished the regular season No. 1 in scoring defense, total defense and pass defense. They were also eighth in run defense.

3-4 riddle

The Broncos keep saying it makes no difference, but after Sunday’s loss Tim Tebow is 4-3 as a starter this season against teams that played predominantly 3-4 defenses, and the Broncos’ offense has scored more than 18 points in just one of those starts.

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